FloridaFishinFool

Just type in lowrance into youtube and you will find a bunch of videos. I am still having trouble adjusting and reading my new one too. One thing I don't like is how slow the GPS is to update. It should be instant. Not sure why it isn't. I got one of those dual scan units with side scan and down scan and overlay and if I spent my time bothering with that thing I'd never get to fish. Some people make them look so easy.

One of the all time greatest drummers is Terry Bozio! He was Frank Zappa's drummer and Missing Persons. The man does things on drums that seem almost inhuman!

Welcome to Florida and to the forum! I look forward to more of your posts and I hope you will also post photos!

This might help- http://www.mudhole.com/site/files/MGG_Instructions.pdf http://www.rodbuildingtutorials.com/Papers%20charts%20tables/degreewheel_wInstructions.pdf http://clients.criticalimpact.com/newsletter/newslettercontentshow1.cfm?contentid=858&id=178#

The nifty thing about this new imaging is that when you look for bathymetric maps they are usually produced by various government agencies, and usually they map major fixed bodies of water like lakes, but for some reason tend to avoid a lot of rivers due to how fast that data can change, but with this new technology it can provide maps for rivers and creeks too, and is constantly updating itself. With many bathymetric maps, they can be years old, but with this new technology when you access it, the data will be current- or should be anyways. And you can bet this will only improve over time and get even better with more satellites going into orbit to provide a lot of this data. I just saw a news report here in Florida on the last satellite launch where they interviewed some Navy officer who explained that presently the satellite capabilities we have now are over-subscribed meaning there is more demand on those satellites than they presently have capability for, so this year in 2015 they are sending up an entire new fleet of satellites to increase capability by ten times with the first satellite launched just days ago. This type of imaging capability is about to increase and expand!

Google earth has a new application that can provide all sorts of new information like bathymetry, sediment, and bottom vegetation and other... It is my understanding this new imaging technology that can operate through google earth is not free. But once you have it, you can use it on any body of water in this country and possibly the world. I am working on getting it myself and presently waiting to hear back from the mapping network. Now if only they can add in a fish finder... http://www.themappingnetwork.com/ Sediment imaging: Bathymetry: Vegtation:

I recently scanned a photo found in my grandfather's personal photos. No one in the family has any knowledge of the photo. So it is just an image with a date and place written in pencil on the back of the photo which simply says "Punta Gorda, Florida 1944." My grandfather was 6' 1" tall, and 43 years old in 1944 when this photo was taken. In this photo it appears he is lifting all of the fish he can out of the water as it bumps into the bottom of the small dock it is tied up to in what appears to be a man-made canal behind the house. I am wondering, how large do you think this fish is in size and weight, and what was he going to do with it? Carve it up and eat it? I have no idea, but I'd sure like to hear what some of you think about its size and what would he have done with this fish???

Yes, but then I would still want more! But I am also willing to let some go too! It's and endless cycle!

Snook reopens in Atlantic state waters The recreational harvest season for snook reopens on Feb. 1 in Florida’s Atlantic coastal and inland waters (from the Miami-Dade/Monroe county line north), including Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. The season will remain open through May 31. In the Atlantic, anglers may keep one snook per day that is not less than 28 or more than 32 inches total length, which is measured from the most forward point of the head with the mouth closed to the farthest tip of the tail with the tail compressed or squeezed while the fish is lying on its side. A snook permit is required to keep snook, along with a saltwater fishing license, unless the angler is exempt from the license requirements. Only hook-and-line gear is allowed when targeting or harvesting snook. It is illegal to buy or sell snook. Snook are one of the many reasons Florida is the Fishing Capital of the World. As a result, the FWC encourages anglers to use moderation when determining whether or not to take a snook home, even during the open season. Researchers ask anglers who harvest the fish to save their filleted carcasses and provide them to the FWC by dropping them off at a participating bait and tackle store. This program allows anglers to participate in the collection of data such as the size, age, maturity and sex of Florida's premier inshore game fish, snook. For the county-by-county list, go to MyFWC.com/Research and click on “Snook Anglers Asked to Help with Research.” The harvest of snook in all of Florida’s Gulf of Mexico state waters, including Everglades National Park and all of Monroe County, will reopen March 1. Snook harvested from the open waters of the Atlantic may not be transported through closed water or landed in the closed area. Anglers may catch and release snook during the closed season, but the FWC encourages anglers to handle and release these fish carefully to help ensure their survival upon release. Proper handling methods can help ensure the species’ abundance for anglers today and generations to come. To learn more about fish handling, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Fish Handling.” For more information, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater,” “Recreational Regulations” and “Snook.”

I have used little more than warm water, a toothbrush, and dawn dish washing soap to clean parts for years. Make sure to use one of those stainless steel screen mesh drain covers in case you drop a part in the sink. If dawn can not get it clean enough you can always use some solvent to dissolve various greases, but dawn usually does a great job. ***I do not ever put a stainless steel ball bearing into water. Some do. I don't. I handle bearings differently. The lubricants you use can be hotly debated for years to come! But basically I use a Yamaha marine grease, lightweight machine oil, a heavier oil, and corrosion X on AR bearings. Being in Florida I have to worry about rust and corrosion more so than people in say Kansas do. Even the well known reel repair tech Alan Tani has recommended corrosion X for AR bearings.

Switching gears a little bit here... Call me suspicious, but I am wondering if maybe there is a marketing ploy behind "manufacturing" disagreements on purpose just to increase ratings and sales? We have seen this sort of thing for decades in pro wrestling and Hollywood. And I wonder if some of this type of 'disagree on TV' thing is encouraged and maybe even staged to some degree? Is it possible?

Such as? Please explain.

TrophyCatch boat giveaway comes full circle for winner The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) TrophyCatch program awarded a $40,000 Phoenix bass boat to Jill Ganey, of Tallahassee, during the Bass Pro Shops Southern Open on Lake Tohopekaliga-Kissimmee. It was a fitting venue, since it was at the Bass Pro Shops grand opening in Tallahassee in September 2013 where Jill actually registered for the TrophyCatch program. Jill and her family wasted no time, taking the new boat for a test ride, learning all the high-performance features of her brand new Phoenix 619-Pro. At the end of its second season (Oct 1, 2013 to Sept. 30, 2014), TrophyCatch had 8,494 registrants, each of whom had at least one opportunity, whether they submitted a fish or not, to win the bass boat. In addition, each verified bass heavier than 8 pounds that was caught, properly documented and released created another 10 opportunities for the registrant to win. Shortly after the end of the season, Margie Perleberg, Business Development Manager for Mercury Marine, one of TrophyCatch’s partners, randomly drew five finalists from among nearly 20,000 chances. The five finalists were Jill Ganey, Anthony Acevedo, Skyler Stahl, Rex Rothing and Lenard Andrews, each of whom were portrayed on Facebook.com/TrophyCatchFlorida the week leading up to announcement of the winner. A young woman from the audience during the Gumbo Wars in Orlando last November drew Ganey’s name from among the five finalists. Because the Ganeys weren’t able to be present at the drawing, arrangements were made to transfer the boat later and provide safety training. Jill Ganey, her husband, Ken (a sergeant with the Leon County Sheriff's Office), and their children, Austin and Tori-Beth, enjoy the angling life, living right on Lake Jackson in Tallahassee. Jill is an FSU alumna and was a paralegal but left the profession to concentrate on raising her children. Ganey pointed out that she heard about TrophyCatch and met some of the staff during the Grand Opening of Bass Pro Shops in Tallahassee, which was when she registered. “We are pleased the boat went to Jill and her family, who will put it to good use,” said Tom Champeau, director of the FWC’s Division of Freshwater Fisheries Management, noting that it was the luck of the draw. “This award reiterated that you don’t have to enter a verified bass to win with TrophyCatch, or even be present at the final drawing to win. Just register atTrophyCatchFlorida.com for free.” The Phoenix 619-Pro bass boat is equipped with a Mercury Marine engine, MotorGuide trolling motor, Power-Pole anchoring system and Navionics chartplotter. The boat and accessories were donated to TrophyCatch by corporate partners, at no cost to the state. KP Clements, director of TrophyCatch, said, “These partners have joined with TrophyCatch in an effort to promote conservation, gather vital catch data and basically invest in Florida’s trophy bass fisheries through this innovative citizen-science program.” Go to TrophyCatchFlorida.com to learn more about the program and register for next year’s drawing. Then, be sure to document (a photo on a scale with the entire bass visible) any bass heavier than 8 pounds that is caught and released in Florida. TrophyCatch.com is also the place where people can learn details about more than 1,000 trophy bass already caught, documented and released in just two years.

Yes or you can frame it yourself. Really quite easy if you have basic hand tool skills. It might cost a pretty penny to have someone do it for you, but if you look around in thrift stores and antique stores I am sure you can find some suitable display pieces to work with. I'd put a nice photo of grandpa right in the middle, maybe one of him fishing- maybe one with the both of you fishing- and surround his image with his old lures. That would be great.

I just got a call from a bass fishing buddy of mine who reported catching a 9 pounder out of Lake Jackson yesterday on a watermelon seed fluke- fished with no weights. I told him he needs to register the fish with the trophycatch program, but it might be too late. So they do catch fish this time of the year!

If it were my grandfathers I would not repaint it. It would stay as grandpa left it. If you want to play around with one, buy another one and do what you want to with that one since it would have no sentimental value, but for the memory of grandpa I'd leave it as is. To me, it would become a display item to pass down to my sons and a piece I would not use, but you do what you want to with it. I am just saying what I would do with it. My father died a few years ago and my mother is still finding bits and pieces of his fishing equipment. I recently acquired his tackle box and I am not changing a thing in it. For now, it will stay just as he left it and I may pass it down to my sons as it was passed down to me. I have no need to use anything in it. I am sure my father would be smiling down on me to see his old lures catching fish again, but I choose not to at this point in time. Maybe he can smile down on his grandsons using it, but it won't be me. I am however using one of my dad's rods and reels, but maybe not for much longer as I am afraid to damage it, but the reel is another story. I am putting a new set of gears in it and plan on using it in memory of dad.

I grew up in Jacksonville and that area is not known for big snook. They are quite a bit further South. They do catch snook up there, but not as much or as large or as often as found further South. As I recall, Jacksonville was kingfish and redfish mostly. Go a couple hundred miles South of Jacksonville and this is what we catch down in South Florida. On this trip we caught about 30 plus all close to this size and missed hooking just as many more in less than 3 hours- on live bait though... I don't think I have ever heard of snook this size caught in Jacksonville area, but I am sure it is possible...

To me the spool is not the perfect tool to spin unwanted dissolved grease out of a bearing. The last place I would want any of that grease is on the spool, but that is just my opinion as anyone can use any method they choose to get the job done, but for me I put the spool at the back of the workbench and it is one of the last pieces I work on before finishing a reel overhaul. Since I use compressed air to carefully blow out grease and let the air spin the bearing at high speed, the air is forced in one side of the bearing and exits out the other side taking with it the unwanted grease. Now if I had that same bearing on a spool, I would be blowing the unwanted grease directly onto and into the spool where I don't want it. I won't spin any bearings anywhere near the workbench. I usually walk outside and do it out there where the spun out grease will cause no harm to what I am working on inside. I often use a variety of tools to spin bearings on from dental picks, to screwdrivers, to needle nose pliers which can fit a wide variety of bearing sizes, especially crank shaft bearings which are often 8mm and 9mm internal diameter. Some of my small jeweler type of screwdrivers actually use the same basic sizes in diameter as many reel bearings, especially the 3mm and 5mm internal diameter sizes perfectly fit on some of those screwdrivers. And like DVT says, be careful when doing this so as to not get any in your eyes. Wear safety glasses.

Anti-rust bearings. Meaning, they are nothing more than rustable 440 stainless steel ball bearings that have been anodized with either a black or gold anodized coating to prevent rust. But keep in mind the anodized coating is only viable where it is not rubbed off, meaning, the anodization will rub off the ball bearings inside the bearing, and everywhere they touch rendering the anodized coating virtually useless inside the bearing. This is why oil is needed in them too! But the anodized coating looks nice even if does not do much of nothing where it is really needed most- inside the bearing where all the action is. ARB bearings is in no way an improved bearing. It is just an anodized regular old SS ball bearing and nothing more. And the anodized coating does not make it spin or operate one iota better than regular non-anodized bearings. It is just a sales gimmick more than anything else since the coating wears off where it is needed most on the moving parts inside. The very fact that someone would go through the trouble to anodize a SS ball bearing indicates they are trying to prevent rust. But, if the anodized coating is worn off all moving parts rendering it useless, then what was the point of it in the first place? Sales gimmick. I have shimano reels from the mid 1980's with regular old 440 stainless steel ball bearings that are as new today as they were 30 years ago. No anodized coating. Not needed.

I found this description online: http://www.stripersonline.com/t/391062/how-do-magnetic-casting-reels-work "A spinning spool, with a conducting metal in close proximity to fixed magnets, will create a disturbance in the magnetic field(s) of the fixed magnets, and this disturbance is called an "Eddy Current". It won't work with graphite or plastic spools - only spools that can conduct electricity. If you have a plastic or graphite spool in your reel, you can add a disc of aluminum or copper on the end nearest the magnet(s) and it will work." ----------------- "I asked my wife, who has a physics degree about it and she said that a magnetism and electricity are very closely related. A magnetic field is essentially an area of static electric currents. If the spool spins consistently with the polarity of the magnets, it will actually be assisted in spinning, if it spins counter to the polarity of the magnets, then a drag will be exerted on it. In other words, a counter clockwise spin may produce acceleration and a clockwise spin may create drag on the spinning conductor." -------------- "I'll try and be as non technical as I can here.... The phenomenon of magnetic damping has to due with a principle in Physics called Lenz's Law. When a metal disturbs a magnetic field, an electric field is produced in the metal. This is what happens in dynamos that are in use in hydroelectric plants. The better the conductor of electricity the stronger the electric field. Thats why aluminum is the choice even though it's not ferromagnetic. Now... The electric field in the spinning spool sets up it's own magnetic field. This magnetic field is such that it causes a force opposing the direction of rotation. Therefore... the faster the spool turns... the higher the electric field produced... the greater the opposing magnetic field... the greater the breaking force. The reason this works so well is that as the spool slows down... the more gentle the breaking... it's like having the most educated invisible thumb built into your reel! You may want to consult a high school general physics text, or do a search on Lenz's Lawe on the Web if you want to know more. I hope this helps somewhat. Prefessa" ***This description tends to contradict what I read on TT. If it involves the disruption of an EMF field created by the spinning metal (aluminum) spool, then the magnetic brakes would be at the peak effectiveness at peak RPM's of the spool rather than most effective on the tail end of the cast as the spool slows down as I read on another forum. I rarely engage the magnetic brakes and prefer to use centrifugal instead, but the magnets are always on and always there anyways and may have an effect even if turned to zero.

This is interesting because as I understand it, even though I may have the magnets backed off as far out as is possible by a zero setting, those magnets can never really be turned off and are always "on" as magnets, so the question arises, even though I am using a zero setting is it truly a zero effect? But, now that you mention it, I guess I am saying I prefer the centrifugal brakes over the magnetic braking as more effective, because the centrifugal brakes really only work on the front side of the cast (highest spinning speed where I need it most) while magnetic braking tends to be most effective on the tail end of a cast (I am told over on TT), but for me, that is where my thumb kicks in when the centrifugal brakes are waning and I want to control lure placement at the end of the cast. But I will do some experimenting with this and try turning off the centrifugal brakes and work with trying to dial it in with just the magnetic braking and see if I can find some use for it within range. If I get some nasty rat's nests with my braid line I know who to blame!

My ceramic bearings are lighter than steel bearings. Startup is easier I do believe and with less weight, run on is lessened some. And on some of my reels I have both magnetic and centrifugal anti-backlash braking, but I keep the magnetic on zero and use only 2 brake shoes and my thumb. I seem to get a little more distance out of a reel this way. I like that my spools spin easier with ceramic hybrid bearings, maybe it is just a confidence improver if nothing else.

I just checked the MSDS on 3 different brake cleaners and they are a chemical cocktail of acetone, toluene, methanol, carbon dioxide, and heptane: Auto Zone brake cleaner: http://econtent.autozone.com:24999/znetcs/msds/en/US/315522 Brakleen: http://econtent.autozone.com:24999/znetcs/msds/en/US/348170 Brakeen non-chlorinated: http://econtent.autozone.com:24999/znetcs/msds/en/US/219615 I just checked on paint thinner and they are not all the same. Some have chemical combinations not much different than brake cleaner: GC paint thinner contains 40-50% toluene and Naptha: http://www.gcelectronics.com/order/msds/226.pdf Barr brand Paint thinner I use is all petroleum based with mineral spirits: http://www.wsc.edu/facility_services/msds/paint_thinner.pdf "mineral spirits is a volatile, colorless liquid distilled from petroleum, used as a paint thinner and solvent." So my preference of solvents is really mineral spirits sold as paint thinner, but I can see now from the MSDS info I gotta be careful to make sure what I am getting is really mineral spirits based and not all those other solvents.

Try using regular old paint thinner. Cheap, oily, and effective and you can let (metal cage) bearings soak forever in that stuff without harm. Since I don't use plastic cage bearings I can not say if paint thinner would cause harm to the plastic cage or not. The only way to tell if your bearings have plastic cages is to remove a shield and look inside.